Benfica forward Angel Di Maria has responded to press reports that he placed bets on football matches on illegal platforms while playing in the Italian Serie A. Sport24.az reports that he told O Jogo:
"I have never been involved in such things. I state this without hesitation, openly."
A while ago, Corriere della Sera, citing the Milan prosecutor's office, reported that 12 players playing in the Italian championship placed bets at illegal bookmakers and played online poker between 2021 and 2023. The list of suspects was determined after checking the players' smartphones.
In addition to Di Maria, the list of suspects also includes Weston McKennie (Juventus), Mattia Perin (Juventus), Leandro Paredes (Roma), Alessandro Florenzi (Milan), Nicolo Zaniolo (Galatasaray) and others.